PROVOST/ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
PROGRAM INFORMATION:
Academic Affairs has primary responsibility for providing positive learning environments for all students, built upon
a commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and service. We develop responsive programs in emerging fields
while sustaining strong support for existing undergraduate and graduate programs offered throughout the University.
We utilize our faculty and staff expertise to address social and economic problems through applied research and
service to the state and region.
Academic Affairs is dedicated to providing educational programs and services that prepare students for varied roles
as responsible leaders and productive citizens in a democratic society. We strive to be student and learning centered
in all our activities. Through close interaction between students and faculty we encourage intellectual, social, and
ethical growth of students. We prepare a diverse student population for meaningful careers in a multi-cultural and
globally-competitive environment while fostering in them a sense of civic responsibility, public service, and human
understanding. We contribute to the general advancement of knowledge, participate in transmitting the heritage of
world cultures, provide services for the public good, engage in research and scholarship that contribute to economic
development and enhanced quality of life of constituencies and community, and seek to instill the values of lifelong
learning.
ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION:
Through Academic Affairs the University offers twenty one distinct degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, and
graduate levels in liberal arts and sciences, in applied fields, and in professional studies. Seventy four academic
majors and eighty academic minors are available at the baccalaureate level along with a number of professional and
pre-professional curricula. Offerings also include seventeen associate degree programs, ten certificate programs,
thirty-five master’s degree programs, five specialist degree programs, and a collaborative doctoral program with the
University of Louisville.
Units reporting to the Provost/Academic Affairs division include: Potter College of Arts and Letters; Gordon Ford
College of Business; College of Education and Behavioral Sciences; Ogden College of Science and Engineering;
College of Health and Human Services; WKU’s Bowling Green Community College; University Libraries; Graduate
Studies and Research; Student Publications; International Programs; Honors Program; Women’s Studies; and
Enrollment Management Services (including University College). The Division of Information Technology, Division
of Extended Learning and Outreach, Office of Institutional Research, Office of Research and Economic
Development, Office of Diversity Enhancement, Office of Program Development and Academic Relations, and
Office of Institutional Effectiveness also report to the Provost/Academic Affairs division.
GOALS/ANTICIPATED PROGRAM ACTIVITIES:
The Provost/Academic Affairs division, working in concert with other units at the University, is responsible for
advancing the primary educational mission of the institution. Academic Affairs is committed to performing its
responsibilities optimally to advance the goals of Challenging the Spirit, the University's Strategic Plan, as well as
other initiatives and strategic objectives consistent with that plan, including those promulgated by the Kentucky
Council on Postsecondary Education. The Division is committed to the goal of becoming “a leading American
university with international reach.”
SOME OPERATING PRINCIPLES AND INTENTS:
1. Preserve and enhance the University’s commitment to its central academic mission, core values, and high
quality, while responding in appropriate ways to state and national initiatives and priorities.
2.
Involve faculty and staff in the development and implementation of key initiatives and programs that
advance the University’s goals, and ensure opportunities for ongoing dialogue that fosters a significant
faculty role in shaping the institution.
3.
Enhance the achievement of academic goals and academic quality within a context that sensitively balances
responsive innovation and change with the maintenance of institutional traditions and stability.
4.
Allow meaningful time for study and reflection and for celebrating major accomplishments and
implementation of initiatives.
5.
Implement reward and recognition systems that recognize the unique talents and strengths of individuals as
well as the contribution of those talents and strengths to the holistic performance of the unit.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS PRIORITIES:
The major goals of the Challenging the Spirit Strategic Plan provide the impetus and framework for the initiatives
and actions to be pursued or completed through the Provost/Academic Affairs office during 2007-08. In some cases,
other institutional imperatives, such as state CPE mandates or directives, have determined the inclusion of certain
planned activities. The following list of objectives provides a succinct statement of the Academic Affairs Divisional
priorities under each of the institutional strategic goals:
Strategic Goal 1: Increase Student Learning

Enhance the intellectual environment of the university
o Provide rigorous, challenging and relevant curricula
o Recognize/reward scholarly productivity in a variety of forms
o Create a global learning environment
o Develop socially and culturally responsive citizens
o Deliver innovative/unique programming
o Advance WKU’s reputation for academic quality

Engage students for success in a global society (Quality Enhancement Plan theme)
o Develop students’ capacity to apply knowledge and training to address relevant concerns in community
and society.
o Foster students’ respect for diversity of people, ideas, and cultures.
o Increase students’ awareness of their opportunities as responsible citizens living and working in a
global society.
Strategic Goal 2: Grow a High Quality, Diverse, and Engaged Student Body

Strengthen culture of student success
o Enhance learning opportunities
o Provide relevant/quality advising
o Improve retention of all students
o Increase number of degrees awarded by improving quality
o Assure readiness for learning
o Enhance the “academic culture” of departments

Increase higher education access and participation
o Achieve planned enrollment growth
o Maintain marketplace competitiveness
o Implement responsive programming and strategies for all campus sites
o Enhance regional campuses with programs and services
o Expand P-12 connections
o Enhance graduate studies
Strategic Goal 3: Enrich Academic Excellence through Premier Faculty and Staff

Recruit, develop, and reward high quality, diverse faculty and staff
o Align reward/recognition systems with faculty expectations
o Expand leadership and professional development opportunities
o Extend the scope of FaCET to further development of faculty and academic administrators alike
Strategic Goal 4: Improve the Quality of Life in Kentucky and Beyond

Extend impact of community outreach and stewardship programs
o Implement the Regional Stewardship Infrastructure Plan
o Expand educational resources available through the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach
programming
o Increase business partnerships for workforce development solutions
o Expand off campus cohort and distance learning opportunities for degrees and certificates

Enhance contribution of research and economic development initiatives
o Increase grant and contract productivity
o Create an operational network for economic development
o Establish an Office of Technology Transfer
o Expand visibility & participation of undergraduate research for students
Strategic Goal 5: Enhance the Financial, Physical, and Resource Capacities of the University

Ensure organizational effectiveness to achieve priority goals
o Strengthen communication and accountability systems
o Provide adequate resources to achieve academic quality
o Practice good stewardship of all assets
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Educational and General
Personnel
Operating Expenses
Capital Outlay
Student Aid
Debt Service
Total Expenditures
2006-07 Approved Budget
Pos. Unrestricted Budget
2007-08 Proposed Budget
Pos. Unrestricted Budget
1,189.7
1,227.3
93,515,373
25,619,978
2,019,244
8,973,642
605,000
130,733,237
100,854,212
30,585,291
2,420,244
11,465,246
0
145,324,993
Educational and General
Personnel
Operating Expenses
Student Aid
Total Expenditures
Pos.
Restricted Budget
268,969
31,650,000
28,908,000
60,826,969
Pos.
Restricted Budget
268,969
28,650,000
30,135,000
59,053,969